Women leaders and activists were outraged on Thursday over the controversial statement made by Congress MP and President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee.
The anger against him also flooded on social networking websites with his name positioned top in the trending list on Twitter. Speaking to this newspaper, CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat termed it “highly deplorable and condemnable” and said that the “sexist remark” made by Mr Abhijit was only “a reflection of his own perverted mentality.” When somebody looks at a people’s protest, they look at the people’s anger and their demands. But, Mr Abhijit has instead looked at something else, Brinda said.
Also citing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement against Union minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar, the CPI(M) leader noted that the list of such legislators who make sexist remarks was getting larger. “Parliament should adopt a model code of conduct to make its members accountable in this regard,” she said. BJP national secretary Vani Tripathi called Mr Abhijit’s statement “bizarre” and said that it was “sad” as it came from no less than the son of the country’s highest authority. Ms Tripathi also blamed the Congress party and said that Mr Abhijit’s statement was part of the Congress culture given the way his party had been dealing with the protests against the recent Delhi gang rape incident. “If a society cannot respect its women, it cannot protect its women,” said Ms Thirpathi, also demanding a public apology from Mr Abhijit and the Congress party.